I shifted into a freelance career about ten months ago after working in an office for over 15 years. All the research I did said that it would probably take up to a year to get things going, so having almost made it to that milestone, I feel very lucky to be busy with a sound set of regular clients. It’s challenging though to know where to turn when trying to build a professional network with the potential of generating the kind of work you’re specifically looking for, whether it be...

More than once in my career, I’ve heard the advice to dress for the job you want, not the job you have. This somewhat confusing statement had me in business-appropriate attire the majority of my professional life. Even when I began working from home, I still made sure the part of me that would show up on video conferences looked just as put together as the rest of me would have if I was actually in the office.

With this statement mulling around in my head, imagine my confusion when I...

When your income is tied to freelancing, you don’t have built-in vacation days where you still get paid. Taking time off means you don’t make money. Not only that, but being unavailable means you can potentially miss lucrative opportunities for work.

So, how do you get that much needed time off? Here are some ways I’ve managed to make it work without worrying that my freelancing career is suffering.

Snag a long weekend

After seven months freelancing without taking a day off, I was in...

Being a freelancer is typically synonymous with project management. You’re most likely going to be managing multiple clients and freelance assignments on any given day, each with their own benchmarks and deadlines to keep track of and maintain. You might be required to attend some virtual meetings or planning sessions, you might need to be available for email at certain times of the day — each project will bring a unique set of criteria and require a specific amount of your time to complete....

My first year as a freelancer has come to a close. It’s pretty amazing to look back and see how lucky I’ve been to have steady work kicking off from about a month after I lost my full-time job, and continuing on today. I’ve had long-term and short-term clients, a variety of projects, and am constantly on the lookout for new opportunities to ensure I always have work to do. It’s a never-ending process of completing assignments while trying to get a foot in the door to start on something else,...